couscous salad with dates and almonds

couscous.jpg ***modified on 7/7/08

 

ingredients:

2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups of couscous.....i have always used wheat couscous

 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 T grated lemon peel...i have left out before and it is just as good

1 tsp. ground cardamom

3 T fresh lemon juice ***add an additional 2 T of lemon juice: 5 T total

*** 1 T red wine or rice wine vinegar

*** 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

*** 1/4 teaspoon of salt

***1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 15-16oz. can of chickpeas/garbonzo beans..drained

2/3 cup of chopped pitted dates

1/2 cups minced basil or cilantro

1/2 cup of almonds toasted....i have forgotten to toast the almonds before and it is still good, but it is way better if you toast them.

 

preparation:

bring 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil. add couscous, stir 30 seconds. remove from heat. cover and let stand 5 minutes. fluff with fork. transfer to large bowl to cool. to toast almonds: i just put them in a dry pan and turn the heat on low.............watch closely stirring often. if your still prepping ingredients then your sniffer will tell you when to turn stir them. as soon as you smell the almonds it’s stir time. this only takes a few minutes. just toast until slightly golden and let cool.

whisk oil, lemon juice, peel, vinegar, caynenne, salt, pepper and cardamom to blend in small bowl. drizzle over couscous. mix in chickpeas/garbonzo beans, dates, almonds, basil or cilantro. season with salt and pepper. let stand at room temperature for an hour if possible.....if your really hungry even better then just to dig in. i’m pretty sure i’ve never waited an hour to eat it.

 

this recipe is super easy to make and it is really tasty!!!

serves 4 healthy portions or 6 smaller portions